Race With Ryan Baumann

On the job hunt

2011-02-03T12:55:00.002-06:00

After a long 2010 season and the unfortunate folding of the Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team, I finished up my studies in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in the fall of 2010.

Currently I am looking for full time employment in the bicycling industry and beyond using my engineering degree, with a particular emphasis on Product Development and Inside Sales.

Thank you to all my sponsors and mentors who helped me get to where I am today. And best of luck to all my teammates in the past, I wish you all the best in the cycling world and beyond.

-Ryan Baumann

Much to come

2009-11-04T12:56:00.000-06:00

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bahati-names-15-rider-roster

Bahati to race alongside Clarke and O'Neill

The Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team has announced a 15-rider roster for their debut season in 2010.

As part of the announcement, Team principal Rahsaan Bahati has confirmed that he will race as part of his newly formed team. Yesterday he had confirmed that he was still looking for a rider contract.

"I'm blessed to have a talented group of individuals who can deliver the message for the Bahati Foundation while winning races at a professional level," said Bahati.

"I’m truly excited to know my future is in the hands of people who are dedicated to the sport and want to give back to the communities that are lacking structure and resources."

Australia's Hilton Clarke will return to the US racing scene with Bahati after a year with ProTour squad Fuji-Servetto. Clarke's compatriot Nathan O'Neill has also been named in the team and will mark his comeback to racing after he completed a suspension for a positive drugs test last November.

The USA's Jason Donald will be the team's other former-ProTour recruit. He leaves Garmin-Slipstream after three seasons. Bahati's former-Rock Racing teammate Cesar Grajales has also been confirmed as part of the team's inaugural line up.

The full 2010 Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team roster is:

Rahsaan Bahati
Nathan O’Neill
Hilton Clarke
Jason Donald
Matt Rice
Cesar Grajales
Ryan Baumann
Corey Collier
Bobby Lea
Alex Hagman
Peter Carey
Phillip Mann
Evan Hyde
Ian Burnett
Lanell Rockmore

Congrats in order

2009-10-08T10:24:00.003-05:00

Check out Cyclingnews article on Bjorn and Sam moving up to ProTour team Radioshack.

Along with Bjorn and Sam, congrats are in order to Matt Busche for making the lead to Radisoshack in one year. Cat 1 on IS Corps - Kelly Benefit Strategies Pro Team - Radioshack Pro Tour; all in one year. That's gotta be some kind of record. He's earned it as much as anyone, evidenced further by his throw-down at the Vuelta Chiwauwau this week - Results here.

Not sure what I'm up to in cycling yet...maybe the stars will align this week. I knew I had a poor season, results wise, with only 1 win in and no podiums at NRC. However, I'm still quite motivated for 2010.

I will be out of the U23 ranks - and therefore off the U23 Trek/Livestrong program - for 2010, which is dissapointing. The team has been instrumental in helping me develop into a complete racer this year. I truly appreicate the opportunity Axel gave me this season. I know I will capitalize on the experiences and growth this year and excel in future seasons.

In the meantime I'm uber busy trying to finish up this Mech Engineering degree at Madison. It's crushing my soul into little pieces lately - exactly the way the program was designed, I'm sure.

At least I will know some fairly interesting material by the semester's end. Today I'm working on evaluating the performace of a refirdigeration system in the Energy System laboratory. It's a mathmatical challenge, but for once, things seem to make sense. Perhaps the last 8 semesters are finally paying off? Find out soon enough.

Off to the Saris Gala Friday night for good times and looking for a cycling contract.

-b-

The Chequamegon show

2009-09-20T21:13:00.006-05:00

Every midwest racer who has hit the mountain bike wants to win the Chequamegon 40 one day. Such a cool race set in northern Wisconsin can't be beat.

The 2009 edition was super dry, well groomed, and FAST. Coming from road racing all season long the hills don't seem so big anymore, but the trails are still difficult and you can put down as much hurt to yourself and the peloton as your legs can dish out.

The leadout was sketchy as usual with 1700 eager racers trying to get to Rosies Field first. Well, Cole House nabbed that honor for the second year in a row with the ATV motorpacing session after the neutral. I was comitted to staying in the front and not getting swarmed into Rosies Field because of the headwind on the road. I took it from way too far out, but I lead the peloton over Rosies about 10 second behind Cole.

After Rosies, I just kept a nice steady tempo about 80% and rode the front through the opening 5 miles of Birkie Trail. It was good to stay in the front, but prolly should have backed off even more as the miles to come were much more difficult.

After the first long dirt road on Phillips Fire Lane Road, Cole and B Matter punched it and I went with. Tilford, Mike Phillips, Chris Peariso, Jeff Hall, and my teammate Bjorn all made the lead split.

After that the lead group was made and Tilford, Phillips, and I traded pulls at the front. Cty Rd OO came and went, and I missed my bottle feed. Whoops.

Things pretty much stayed the same until the base of Firetower. I kept the pace steady at the front with the plan that if I faltered, Bjorn would take over on the climbs in the final Birkie Trail section. Coming into Firetower I could feel I was getting dehydrated and starting to cramp. Tilford took front wheel into firetower and I was 2nd.

Tilford and I gapped most of the crew up to the final pitch in Firetower, but I faltered over the top and Cole lauched past me right up to Tilford at the top. Eventually B Matter, me, and Bjorn made up the few second gap on the downhill and the race was on!

I told Bjorn to go....he tried, and cramped. I told myself to go...no way, I can't stand up right now without my legs involuntarily locking up! Oh man, there goes B Matter, Cole, Tilford responds too...that's all she wrote. It was all I could do to make it over the remainder of the Birkie, get into the chase group with Marko, Dewy, Olheiser, Bjorn, Tristan, and Hall and sprint for 4th.

I was fighting so many leg cramps going up to the finish bowl I didn't know what to think. Somehow I turned on the gas to get a gap before the descent, came down well...and blotched my sprint. I gave it what I had, but Marko took the best line in the uphill sprint and got me at the finish line. 5th place.

Congrats to a great win by B Matter and a really strong ride by Cole and Tilford.

I'll be back next year!

Chequamegon on the horizon

2009-09-06T22:08:00.002-05:00

Lacking road races to do after the team nixed Tour of Missouri (various reasons)...

The focus has switched up to some mountain bike racing. I have the Trek Top Fuel 9.8 all set up, and I even got its feet wet at the Ripon College race this past Saturday at Mt Morris. I managed 2nd place even though I ran into some mechanical issues. A great day and a great venue to retun to the off road scene at. My teammate Dallas Fowler crashed, I hope he recoveres quickly to use his good form for Nationals and the 40.

The legs feel great and the technical skills, well, lets face it, they never existed! But I hope to acquire some new confidence in the bike over the next 2 weeks and be ready for the big show in two weeks.

Lake Geneva WORS weekend on tap, then off to the Telemark Lodge.

Gotta love September in Wisconi,

-b-

Racing has nothing to do with powerfiles

2009-08-08T20:38:00.007-05:00

But I've been aiming for this one a long time so I'm gonna post it anyway. Its always been a personal goal to see that 4-0-0 watts on the computer for an hour.

This is the state TT course, a shade under 40km, ridden on my road bike. Fun course in the pouring rain! Had a blast but got beaten by Busche and Bean...by over 2 minutes each. I guess they make TT bikes for a reason?

Time was 53:40 according to the computer, although the results show 57:30. Not sure whats up there. Fun either way.

Tour of Utah on tap. Yeah. More altitude

NW Coast

2009-07-19T19:13:00.002-05:00

Headed to Bend, OR early tomorrow...it's the first time I will visit the northwest coast and I'm excited. Trek/Livestrong has both the Cascade Cycling Classic and U23 Nationals on tap.

Let's get it on!

-b-

What happened to "blogging?"

2009-07-12T18:04:00.002-05:00

Is blogging still "cool?" ---------------- Yes.

Am I going to blog anymore? ---------- Yes.

Where the hell have you been? -------- On the move.

Win any races yet? -------------------- I won a practice race. I called where the finish line was.

Next race? ---------------------------- Cascade Classic and U23 Nationals in Bend, OR July 21st.

How are the legs? --------------------- Feeling better!

Rest of the season? -------------------- Just thinking about Cascade and Nationals right now.

What happened mid season here? ------ Overtrained like a boss.

Why'd you do that? -------------------- I like pain and suffering. Love it.

Lesson learned? ------------------------ Recovery is the key. Always.

Who's gonna win the Tour? ------------- Ohhhh I think #8 is more than possible for Lance.

I'll be back,

-b-

Hiatus

2009-04-23T19:18:00.002-05:00

Back in action after some ups and downs the previous three weeks.

Redlands was a wash after getting sick, then crashing into a car on the first road stage. Luckily I was not seriously injured, but my body was out of whack and I was unable to finish the race.

Life came at me quickly in the following week, where I flew back to Tucson, packed my things, and drove solo back to Wisconsin over the course of the next three days. Feeling really out of focus and just terrible all around, I went to see the doctor the week after my crash and found out my shoulder was separated and I had some horrid inflammation on the left side of my body.

Down but not out I began training again shortly after in Green Bay. Currently, I'm in back in Tucson staying at Curtis Zimmerman's place of the esteemed missingsaddle.com website. Starting to get some good feelings in the legs again before Tour of the Gila next week.

Life has been good the past two weeks, having good riding company with Rebecca Much of Team Webcor, joining in with Chad Beyer, Tyler Wren, and Dan Vallencourt for a few spins up the infamous Mt. Lemmon.

Trying not to sweat too much in the heat. Excited to get back to racing--

-b-

"Are you serious?"

2009-03-11T22:18:00.003-05:00

5km into a 15km climb...cobbles!

"Dude you need to stop talking during races"

2009-03-07T17:56:00.005-06:00

Stage 7 - Short. 135 km. Windy, big rollers. Made the breakaway. Finally. Hamilton, Landis, Milne, Carlsen, perfect group. Flatted. No team car in sight. Another day on the bike.

Back in the peloton. Dude gets all up in my space. I've got nowhere to go. Give him a love tap back to his place. We lock bars. Down we go.

Stage 6 - Cobbles. Real. Big. Cobbles. Front derailleur gets all jittery on me. Then it decides to just fall off. Nothing like chasing back to the peloton at 60 kph motorpacing over Paris-Roubaix style cobbles and Belize style speed bumps. Could never forget that one if I tried!

Bridging up to the break. Stetina joins the bridge. Good move. Motoring now. Shift. Chain wraps around my crank. Twice. Back to the peloton. Give the front derailleur some "precise adjustments" courtsey of my foot. Back to good....

Bad luck hits all at once!

One day left in downtown Mexico City - and finally back to civilization. And by that I mean Starbucks.

You can thank Travis Brandt for that one.

-b-

Mexican endeavours

2009-03-03T19:48:00.002-06:00

So far in La Vuelta Mexico....

Pulled over by one traffic cop. Axel played it cool and got off with a warning. Act like you don't speak Spanish.

Hotels = amazing. 5 stars. Crazy views. Lovin' it.

200+ km stages. Never trust the race bible, the race is whatever the race director decides on the day to race.

Crazy crowds. Signing body parts and clothing daily at the starts and finish venues.

Crazy strong Mexican racers. Not many pro teams in Mexico, but a helluva lot of strong riders.

Crazy cobbles and speed bumps. Sketchy gets a new meaning down here.

Crazy saddle sores. You just don't wanna know.

Can't believe it's only stage 4...hump day tomorrow, only 4 more to go.

Adios,

-b-

Can't fight the feeling

2009-03-01T14:22:00.002-06:00

Racing is in the air finally...you can smell it, taste it, feel it in every part of your body. Anxiety. Excitement. Nerves. It all comes together at the start of the race season. But somehow we always get over it and down to business.

Stage one of Vuelta Mexico today was 100 km of circuits through downtown Oaxaca, 12 laps of 8 km. One nice climb each lap and some nasty ass cobbles and dips made the race harder than I expected, not helped by my stale legs from the lack of riding the past couple of days. You see, AeroMexico airlines neglected to get my bike to me before 9AM the day of the race...we start at 10AM. Needless to say, it was a bit close but at least I was on my own bike and not the neutral.

Lance was in the follow car today with Axel...I guess they got a lot of excitement in the first couple laps of the circuit with Reohei and Julian both crashing, followed by some flat tires courtsey of Phinney and Reohei. The bumps dips were fun enough on a bike, I can't imagine how much air the caravan car got chasing back to the peloton!

Anyway the clmbs were not too bad but I was having one of those days, so I sag climbed each lap and cruised in about 15 seconds down on the main peloton after 100km of racing. Ready to fight another day, looking forward to some of the longer stages--oh yes, such as tomorrow's 205 km stage in the mountains. Hello altitude.

-b-

Oaxaca, Mexico

2009-02-28T10:22:00.002-06:00

Enjoying the views from the top of the Hotel Victoria in Oaxaca right now, wishing we had more time to vacation here in Mexico instead of begin eight days of racing tomorrow! The racing would probably be easier if any of the team had our bikes and luggage yet--after 15 hours of travel yesterday we arrived in Oaxaca sans any luggage. So at least now I have an excuse to sit up here on the hotel balcony, enjoy the view, and not think about bike racing for a while.

Viva Mexico-

-b-

Viva Mexico!

2009-02-25T15:41:00.002-06:00

Off to the Vuelta Mexico - Telmex this week for eight stages of bike racing goodness and Mexican food consumption. Could not ask for a more perfect race at this time of year, between the great weather, high altitude, and long stages. Should be a great race to test the legs and start the season off right. Starting in Oxaca and ending up in Mexico City on March 8th.

Follow the race on cyclingnews.

Plus I can brush up on my extremely rusty Spanish skills.

Hasta luego,

-b-

Santa Rosa camp recap

2009-02-08T20:20:00.002-06:00

We're finally finishing up the second Trek-LiveSTRONG team camp here in Santa Rosa, California after a solid 8 days of training, sponsor meetings, massage, and of course eating. The staples of any cyclist's diet should include plenty of rice, fish, pasta, and oatmeal - and I've no doubt consumed my share of the works this week.

On top of all the experiences this week, the one most prominent in my mind is Axel Merckx's guidance on a daily basis. The guy is a class act in every way, and I'm honored and proud to work for him. Axel keeps us U23 guns in line every day with a mix of good natured Belgian humor, friendship, and laying the verbal smack down on us when need be. Luckily that hasn't been often!

Second on my list of cool experiences was the riding company. Between Levi, Lance, Contador, Bart, the Saris guys, SRAM, Beaker Concepts, and the rest of the Astana team we have been in the best of company all week long. Lance laying down the law the first day got the hard efforts out of all our systems, and really prepared us to work hard "in our zones" the rest of the week long.

Of course I can't forget to mention our title sponsor Trek in all this buisness - they really stepped up to the next level and made this camp phenominal for us. I just packed my bags of gear - almost half of what we get for the year - and I'm astounded. The kits are top notch, the bikes are better than ever, and our staff is dedicated to our success.

Back in Tucson tomorrow, recovering and training until next weekend's Valley of the Sun stage race in Phoenix. Looking forward to the next challenge,

-b-

Riding with the boss

2009-02-04T19:47:00.002-06:00

First the meet and greet.
Then putting the hammer down on Spring Mountain Road.

1) Lance is fast. Very fast.
2) Levi is going to win Tour of California.
3) I'm the geek on the team - It's only taken 1 week of training for the team to figure that out.

We rode Kings Ridge today northwest of Santa Rosa. Probably the most amazing ride I have ever done on a road bike. Legs are tired today after hammering with Lance yesterday and 6 hours today. But still lovin' every minute of it.

-b-

Sunny side up

2009-01-30T15:19:00.002-06:00

Of all the things in Tucson I like the most....

...home would have to be the most spectacular.

Really. I do like Wisconsin. But Arizona is quite nice at this time of year too.

Off to Santa Rosa to get the final touches on our training before racing starts up at the Vuelta a Mexico in a few weeks. Hopefully Astana doesn't rip our legs off too much; it's becoming difficult to reattach those legs after each hard training ride--especially with Jon Chodroff, Cam Evans, Kirk Carlson, and Curtis Gunn lighting it up on the Shootout each weekend.

Tuna and brown rice....mmmmm....lunchtime.

-b-

Teammates winning more world cups

2009-01-21T14:12:00.002-06:00

Damn son!

One of our new teammates, Jesse Sergent, won the individual pursuit with a time of 4:17 in Beijing yesterday...the second fastest time ever on that track I believe. Congrats -- can't wait to meet him in Santa Rosa at our next team camp in 10 days.

Team looks to be shaping up good! This afternoon I have a final fit appointment with Bill Peterson at Foot Fitness to get my new orthodics and Bontrager RXL shoes. Exciting stuff.

Oh yeah, school started this week...I guess I have lots of stuff to do now. No slacking, eh?

-b-

This guy is a genius

2009-01-18T20:40:00.002-06:00

If you have any bike fitting issues that you just cannot seem to solve....this is the guy to go to. Bill Peterson, a podiatrist that runs the Foot Fitness store in Tucson here, is an absolute fitting genius. In 5 minutes of looking at my feet he described to me all the issues I've had with my bike fit the past several years. And 1 hour later, I was pedaling more symmetrically and smoothly on the bike than I've ever been before - even without the custom orthodics he's making for me this week. It turns out I was pretty messed up on the bike, but now, I look like a bike racer. And feel like one too.

Seriously, give this guy a call and set up an appointment if you are in town. It is well worth your time and effort.

His website is www.wedofeet.com

Austin - are you sure this is Texas?

2009-01-09T07:53:00.002-06:00

Sitting at the origional whole foods market in Austin right now...what a cool town! Not what I expected at all. We are staying at a hotel downtown right next to Mellow Johnny's bike shop. Trek and Livestrong have come out in full force to support us - and the effort shows. Camp so far is top notch from the Trek bikes, to the vo2 max test I have to nail down in an hour here. Let's pray dinner doesn't come up, or the 30 hours of riding in my legs the past 8 days.

Off to the show,

B

Taking a trip

2009-01-07T22:47:00.002-06:00

Always on the move here lately...tomorrow I fly from Tucson to Austin, Texas for the first team camp of the 2009 season. After logging some solid miles on the trusty old Slingshot cross bike, it's time to retire the beast and move on.

How shall I retire the bike? All ideas are acceptable. Keep in mind the steed has only one chainring, cantilever brakes, and one pink chain ring bolt.

Back from camp next Tuesday looking a little less ghetto than the days before-

Ryan

And I'm Out

2008-12-28T18:04:00.003-06:00

Working hard, riding the trainer, hitting the skis a bit when the weather agrees (read: does not snow too much) the past two weeks. Enjoyed Christmas with the family another year and we are thankful for it.

Tonight involves packing up everything I own and making the grand old trip down to Tucson with fellow Green Bay native Cole House. Straight through to Tucson, AZ is about 29 hours....how fast can we make it?

Oh yeah, the Ipod Touch.....great invention. I will be blogging and enjoying life that much more now.

View Larger Map

Acceptance

2008-12-18T08:18:00.005-06:00

Sunny:

-9°F

Feels Like:

-25°F

It has taken 21 years for me to accept it--Wisconsin is too cold for me.

I gotta get out of here soon.

The rollers, the weight room, the 15 minute preparation time to survive 15 minutes of walking outdoors to class:

I've had enough.

December 28th it's time to get away.

To the desert of Tucson I will go.

Ride with ryan baumann

2008-12-11T21:48:00.000-06:00

http://www.ridewithryanbaumann.blogspot.com/

Still the best site ever. Waiting for an update these past two years...

Perspective

2008-12-10T12:28:00.003-06:00

After all the shenanigans this off season, the dust has settled and all the team rosters from the USA have been announced. Now considering the state of the economy and all that jazz, I consider myself and friends to be extremely lucky--this is a terrible year for a lot of bike racers.

Trek Livestrong has a solid U23 roster for next year including lots of track champions and olympic medalists. Guy East won a U23 6-Day race just last month, we all know Taylor Phinney went to Bejing for the individual pursuit, and the two Kiwis were part of the bronze medal team pursit squad at Bejing. The final roster:

Trek LIVESTRONG U23 Team (D.S. Axel Merckx)

Ryan Baumann (USA)
Sam Bewley (USA)
Benjamin Bradshaw (USA)
Cody Campbell (CAN)
Guy East (USA)
Ben King (USA)
Ryohei Komori (JPN)
Taylor Kuphaldt (USA)
Taylor Phinney (USA)
Bjorn Selander (USA)
Jesse Sargent (NZL)

The first team camp is on January 8th in Austin, Texas at the "Mellow Johnny's" bike shop. The team will meet for the first time, break the ice, get some gear, do some rides, and prepare for the season.

In the menatime I try to ignore my excitement and focus on real life...riding the rollers and knocking off finals one by one. Real life is absurdly boring.

Also check out the Two John's Podcast. Good times to be had there each week--and great entertainment for the soon-to-occur road trip to Tucson, Arizona at the end of the month.

Missingsaddle bound

2008-12-02T08:00:00.002-06:00

The new site will be up shortly...I'll post a link as soon as it is ready!

Cyclocross

2008-11-16T22:35:00.009-06:00

Two Photos thanks to djonnymac, top two thank to Peloton-Pix.com

It's easy to explain why I am not good at cyclocross: One reason being my not-so-brief visit to that freezing pool of river water next to me in the above photos. Another probably involves a 42-25 granny gear on a hilly course with poor fitness. Also I have no cross style, grey socks notwithstanding.

Ignoring the wet, cold, intense pain of cyclocross, it doesn't seem half bad!

From hot to cold

2008-11-10T16:10:00.002-06:00

Hello all, it's been a great past 10 days! The road racing scene has pretty much wrapped up world wide, and now all eyes are on the cyclocross'ers like Jamie Driscoll, Bjorn Selander, and the Keough brothers Luke and Nick who have been tearing it up at home and abroad.

Thank you one and all who: looked at / considered buying / did not buy / shunned / wanted to buy, but found a great excuse not to buy my ebay items last week. The procedes have gone to my bank account and will help pay for tuition next semester....yes that means Spring 2009! Racing my be full time next season, but that doesn't mean I've given up finishing my degree. 1 and 1/2 semesters left to go.

My experience of the past week: buying jeans and visiting the mall. Yes I know some of you out there do this like it's your day job (Cole and Greg), but buying a pair of jeans for the first time in 4 years was more difficult than you can possibly imagine. But considering that I'm about to graduate from college and I'm still wearing clothes from Junior year of High School, I considered it time for a change. You know, spice it up a little bit.

$110 and two pair of jeans later I'm done buying jeans for another 4 years--a great success!

Well it's off for some more cold rides, and screwey school work like the rest of modern 20-something society.

-b-

Ebay

2008-11-02T18:58:00.004-06:00

Check out all my ebay listings please! Honestly this is all the money I have to keep on living until next year, so please buy!

Reynolds DV46T wheelset

Easton EC90 Attack TT Aerobar

Shimano Dura Ace 7800 crank and BB

Jamis Xenith SL Fork

Nike Swift Skin Suit

Lazer Chrono 3 Time Trial Helmet

Training is HARD

2008-10-28T08:38:00.003-05:00

Sunny Feels Like:
29°F 23°F

To combat the winter blues (which pretty much render me useless and laying on the couch all day long if in full effect):

1) Music, especially AC/DC and The Killers
2) Reading up on the scene at the Giro d' Lombardia on Pez (some good articles there lately)
3) Only oatmeal at the house....if you want a good meal, you have to ride to the coffee shop
4) Pretending the rollers are fun (actually an impossible task)
5) Realizing that if I don't ride, University life will be the rest of my life (boring).

Oh and the most important thing to clear up the winter blues:

Coffee consumption! Remembering that I can't have any until race day in the race season, it's great to imbibe until satisfied in the off season.

Off for a 29 degree ride,

-b-

Trek Demo and team bike photos

2008-10-26T18:31:00.004-05:00

So ? What's the verdict on the new steeds? Unfortunately mine does not arrive until the first week of January, but a sneak peak never hurt.

This weekend I ventured back to Green Bay to visit the family and catch the Trek Bikes demo at the Reforestation Camp. Since I no longer own a mountain bike it's great to hit up the trails with some proper equipment, and not my cyclocross bike.

I tried out the Gary Fisher 69'er singlespeed....ouch. Singlespeeds are not my style. Then I tried on the Fisher Superfly for size. That's a nice bike--carbon hardtails are more my style. And the best part is I didn't even crash or injure myself. Cole House wasn't with me so success in this department was much more likely.

Well it's back to school again here. This semester is getting pretty hellish and I'm already looking for the end to come soon...

-b-

Trek-Livestrong U23

2008-10-17T16:17:00.002-05:00

I signed with Trek-Livestrong for 2009. I'm excited not only to ride Trek bikes again, but to get to race back over in Europe.

That being said, I'm celebrating by starting the off season! Now if only school were not in the way, I'd take a much needed vacation.

I promise to update my blog a bit more this year...with some pictures too, and lots more shenanigans and less race talk.

Here's to 2009,

-b-

Training! Fall is here.

2008-10-09T20:12:00.002-05:00

Fall in Madison, Wisconsin is not only the best time of the year to eat apples and pumpkins, but it's also the best time of the year to ride bikes! Seriously I love fall riding, despite the long and hard season of racing. It's always encouraging to get some long cool rides in west of Madison before winter sets in.

Everyone is talking about the off season--who wants to take an off season during the best riding time of the year?

I also have my 2009 team lined up. I'll announce it soon!

Asian pears are tasty

2008-09-27T10:55:00.002-05:00

Time flies....is it already almost October?

School - Ah, school in the fall. I am actually appreciating school right now because it keeps me occupied and not thinking about cycling too much in the off season. That being said...

Job - ...Yes, now I have a job. However it's not exactly an escape from cycling...I work at a bike shop. But at least there are my crazy roomates Frye, Tanner, and Waite to keep life interesting...

Riding - ...But, none of the roomies can ride bikes with me anyway. So I've just been riding easy for a couple of hours each day with the Cookie Monster, the Freshman Steve, Mr. Jacobo, Pradun the sprinter, and of course the occasional solo ride. Lucky for me...

Teams - ...things are actually looking up on the whole 2009 team front. I just needed to wait a few more weeks for something to happen. I guess patience is a very important trait, which I unfortunately did not inherit from my dad. Impatience also lends to the fact...

Broke - ...that I am nice and broke right now. I am voting for Obama and hoping to get some more student loans to finish off this enginerring degree ASAP. In the meantime, anyone want...

FOR SALE - ...to buy some sweet equipment? Right now I have some Reynolds DV46T carbon tubular wheels, a new 320g carbon fiber fork, and all kinds of Sakonnet and USA National team clothing for sale. Please drop a comment below if you're interested in financing my education / buying some new cycling gear.

Fall is almost here. Enjoy the best riding time of the year!

-b-

Maybe just riding for team nobody

2008-09-16T20:32:00.002-05:00

I've decided several things as of late:

1) I want to go back to race in Europe
2) The USA economy does not like itself. Bike racing is good for the economy.
3) Team hunting is much harder than Engineering school
4) Hippies are the only reason Madison does not get burned to the ground by conservatives
5) No teams want a old 22 year old racer since he'll be 23 the year afterward, and 23 is OLD.
6) Jonathan Page won Chequamegon with road race tactics. Why is everyone surprised?
7) Vangarderen is the real deal with a win at Tour L'Avenir.

So it's obvious that I don't have a team yet, and I'm not all that optimistic right now. The state of "things" changes every day. At this point I really don't know what to expect.

Not having a team is motivating, however--my 09 season training has already started in many ways. Even racing for team nobody, I'll be ready.

-penguin

They have fast children here

2008-09-03T08:47:00.003-05:00

Stolen from Philthethrill.net

The Hunt

2008-08-31T09:22:00.002-05:00

It's a strange time and strange place in the year when a cyclist is looking for next year's contract. To the outside world, it is a great mystery as to how a rider suddenly goes from Toyota to Kelly Benefit from one year to another. Does the director of a new team call the rider and ask for them to ride? Does the rider apply for a position? What kind of resume does the rider submit, and when?

For a hoping-to-make the next step amateur this time of the year is called The Hunt. Tens of emails are sent out daily to friends, directors, and teammates. Only a few receive responses. One day your hopes are up and everything you wanted looks to be coming true. The next day your hopes are slammed into the dirt. Repeat for five weeks and see where you're at.

Such is how "applying" to a team progresses as a cyclist. For me, it's been up up up and down down down since I started The Hunt. Some of my friends and teammates have been successful this season, and that only makes me more determined to keep fighting more. I really wanted to keep racing this season, as I believe I had one more big result in me before the season's end. But it wasn't meant to be, between school starting and the team's finances dwindling, it was time to end racing.

I love cycling. I just hate this one part of it. The Hunt.

Phil and I getting schooled by Slipstream at Nationals.

Luck running out?

2008-08-17T22:37:00.002-05:00

Downers Grove was a great race, I just didn't have the luck. Legs were prepped and opened up - I felt surprisingly confident before the race considering I usually screw up crit sprints like it's my day job.

Saturday's tuneup race was a good opener. Too bad it was pitch black by the end...a crash with 2 laps to go split the field. I made the front split but didn't move up enough and ended around 30th.

Sunday was the Elite National championship race. I cruised the middle of the pack the first half of the race and let the ringers take all the preems. I could care less about preems at this point in the season. Who cares about prize money when it's nationals?

With 12 laps to go a nice breakaway formed with Adam Bergman and another Cal/Giant rider. That's a super dangerous move, so I made the bridge attempt at the top of the hill. I got most of the way to the breakaway, but couldn't close the last 100 meter gap. I realized after the bridge attempt that I needed to make the same move with 2 laps to go to win the race.

Going into 3 laps to go, my rear tire flatted and I practically ate it in a downhill corner. Sweet.

Hopefully I'll get one more chance this season,

-Penguin

The penguin returns

2008-08-12T01:02:00.002-05:00

First off, my new nickname is the penguin as dubbed by Randy, Nick, Cheyne, and Travis in California.

U23 Nationals was up and down -- DQ'ed in the TT after what I thought was a good time due to a turnaround error, 16th in the crit...things weren't going well until I just got mad. At no one or thing in particular.

The road race went pretty well racing angry. I bridged to a break with too many dangerous riders in it, joining my teammate Nick 30 miles into a 120 mile race. We ended up staying away all day long. Slipstream/VMG dominated the break with 5 riders...it was their race to loose, and they played the race perfectly. Since the breakaway riders other than Slipstream/VMG were working well together, I chanced on being able to bring back most attacks on the last lap and waiting for a late race attack or sprint.

That plan went nowhere when we all cramped on the last lap and Peterson bridged up to Stetina and Carlson, negating our chances of chasing the leaders down. I felt surprisingly good, however, and play the sprint just right to take the last podium spot for 5th place. Phil Gaimon hung on for a great ride and 4th place.

Off to Downer's next weekend,

-penguin

Podium, getting closer to a win

2008-06-26T20:18:00.003-05:00

Tour of Pennsylvania --

Prologue - 6th
Crit - 32nd, Sheldon 6th
Stage 2 - 3rd
GC - sitting in 5th

Not a bad start, but the climbing comes soon. I haven't found my climbing legs yet this year, so I'm hoping for the best.

Update -- Sheldon Deeney in 2nd on stage 3, I'm safe in the groupetto after a bad day. Hoping for more podium's to come.

Oh yeah, Pennsylvania rocks!

Good sensations!

2008-06-21T18:05:00.002-05:00

Okay, to sum up the past few weeks--The Keough's are great hosts and I can never thank them enough for putting up with me for two weeks, Jake Keough is amazing and consequently will be racing for a pro team from here on out, Cape Cod is unique but I'm not a beach type of guy, Jon Chodroff is awesome for letting me crash at his place for a while, crits in Harlem are sketchy but racing with Jake makes things more worthwhile, I did a "practice" stage race this weekend in New Jersey and the legs feel fantastic, and Tour of Pennsylvania is on tap starting Tuesday.

Oh yeah I have a nose ring and two tats on each quad now.

(Just kidding Mom, I know you're the only one that reads this now).

-b-

The past 4 stages...

2008-06-08T06:01:00.004-05:00

The legs have been coming around a bit so I've been a bit more involved in the racing as the week goes on:

Stage 1 - Hard day with steep repeated climbs. Rolled in with the groupetto with Travis, Nick, and Jake. Guy and Cheyne are highest on GC.

Stage 2 - Flatter stage. I got into the early breakaway and we DRILLED it for a while. It was pretty tough to stay away since the Italian team was going crazy fast in the field. Our gap was up over one minute, but it quickly fell after 30 km and we were caught. The Italians kept tempo and reeled in the next break for a field sprint. Travis, Nick, Cheyne, and I set up Jake for the field sprint, where he was 4th and just needed a bit more help to take the win.

Stage 3 - Short circuits with a 600 meter steep climb each circuit. Ouch! The legs came around by the end of the race and I felt ready to lead out Guy and Jake to the base of the final climb on the last lap. I drilled it hard and hit the climb first, then Guy took over and I rolled in at the back.

Stage 4 - An evening TT on the same course. It was a bit unfair since the officials allowed a full aero front end on a road bike, but no TT bikes. So guys were set up really aero even on their road bikes! I ended up rocking my road bike standard setup with Travis' 404 wheels for a 12:05 time and 35th place. Guy killed it and almost won...2nd place. Travis also had a good ride with 11th place. Everyone on the team road really well today.

Stage 5 to come from almost France land.

-b-

Oh Canada!

2008-06-03T06:55:00.002-05:00

I'm on the Canadian border right now, enjoying an excellent breakfast of mini muffins and bran flakes from the esteemed Super 8 Motel in Newport, Vermont. The Keough brothers and I are headed up to "Le Coupe de Naciones Via Segeauy" somewhere north of Quebec City. It's a U23 Nations cup stage race, believe it or not. Guy East, Travis Brandt, and Cheye Hoag will be joining us in French land later this evening.

The past week after Gavi's crash, I headed up to Cape Cod to stay at the Keough family estate. The hospitality was fantastic, the Cape was beautiful, and training with Jake is hard work! We got some good long rides in to prepare for the upcoming stage races.

Next post will be in Frenchland.

-b-

Good legs, Bad luck

2008-05-29T17:00:00.002-05:00

Crashed at Somerville in a pileup. Broke a bike. Got a neutral. Attacked because I was pissed off. Consequently didn't have it for the finish to help Jake. Gavi is on the injured list.

Crashed at Ricola. Front clincher tire blew in a downhill left hand corner. Broke shoes, helmet, and bruised the other side of my body.

So really, it has been a good weekend.

Pittsburgh, Jersey, and the start of racing

2008-05-25T07:41:00.002-05:00

Road tripping!

This past week I traveled solo to the east coast, making some stops in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and some towns on the Tour of Pennsylvania route. Pittsburgh was one of the coolest cities I've ever visited between the mountains, close-knit towns, and 6 college campuses. It will be a very exciting finish city for the Tour of PA next month.

Right now I'm sitting in Englewood, New Jersey with my teammate Gavi Epstein, chilling out before the Tour of Somerville tomorrow. Yesterday we traveled to Baltimore, Maryland for the Kelly Cup NRC race with my two teammates Nick and Jake Keough. It was a pretty chill race at the start, and I got to the front and floated up there the entire day. Little breaks were going left and right, but nothing really stuck since the finishing climb was long and steady, making breaks easy to pull back.

With around 16 laps to go, I rolled with an attack at the top of the climb and got in a good move with Kelly, Colavita, and Toyota. Unfortunately I was thrown into the barriers during an acceleration and immediately had to try and bridge back to the break. Team Type 1 came up and tried to make it across with me, but we couldn't quite close the gap and the break was gone...

So I sat on near the front and tried to help Jake position himself for the finish. We were a bit disorganized, but Jake still managed 10th, with Gavi 23rd, and me 33rd.

Oh yes, the weirdest part about Jersey--they have the cheapest gas in the country, but it is illegal to pump your own gas. "Self Severe" stations are illegal? What's up with the east coast?

-b-

Denzer + Wheels on Willly weekend

2008-05-19T10:07:00.003-05:00

It was cool to be back in Madison this weekend for the first time in a long time. It felt strange, as I'd spent the last 3 years living in town, and I rent an apartment downtown, but I forgot where everything was located. Either way it was cool to see the UW crew out cheering and racing this weekend.

Denzer was one of my favorite races last year, with a good 5-minute climb steep enough to drop the peloton. This year, Jordan "da Canadian" Roessing went from the gun solo. I did the early break thing last year, and I remember that even with Dierking, Crater, and I motoring it we could not stay away the whole race. So this year I stayed in the pack and waited for 1 or 2 laps to go.

Well things played out way different this year, with Jordan staying away after Stemper and Busche bridged up to him on lap 2 of 5. We drilled it for a while and got the break in sight on the finishing straight, but that was the last we saw of them after GP, Dewy, GDVC, and other teams did not want to chase. So the gap opened up to 8 minutes or so and the race was over for us.

Things got harder on the 4th lap climb, and Dewy made a nice attack and dropped all but Marcotte, but it didn't really matter as the break was already long gone. So I rolled with a chase group for a while and sprinted for 10th to practice a bit.

Sunday's Wheels on Willy crit always surprises me--I mean, its a local race with $1000 and some decent preems, but the crowd, atmosphere, announcer, field, and course make this race quite fun. I had this plan to sit on the whole race and wait for a sprint like last year, but things played out different than I thought!

The pace was solid from the gun, and a strung out field was splintering all over the road. I jumped into the front split to keep from working too much, and I ended up being up there the entire day. The break motored sometimes well, sometimes not well depending on who was rolling good at the front. I put in pulls when appropriate and closed a lot of gaps as riders began to tire around 30 minutes in.

Then, at 35 minutes in, Chad Hartly, Bennett, and Meyers just rolled off the front of our 9 man move...then Stemper bridged the small gap, and Dierking did too. I was right on Dierking's wheel, but given that I was the only one up in the move all day long, and ABD was the only team represented in the break, I waited for one of the other key players to close the gap like Marcotte, House, or Scholzen. I guess everyone was gassed at this point, so it rolled anyway.

It looked like GP and IS Corps were kind of shattered, so a group of us got a chase going with 15 minutes to go off the front of the remaining peloton. We never made it quite close enough to bridge, so our last chance was for GP to TTT it at the front and bring them back for a field sprint. That was a no go as well, so we were racing for 6th place. I got pushed into the gutter on the last lap, but rebounded to come around all the stragglers in the sprint and take 9th overall behind Marcotte, Carter, and House.

Regardless of lost opportunity, this crit was great fun and good training for Somerville next weekend.

East coast racing starts Memorial Day weekend, followed by a trip to Quebec and some riding at the Tour of Pennsylvania.

Hating on the local races

2008-05-10T22:28:00.002-05:00

Today was the WCA Muskego Park road race, which I unhappily drove down to myself for 2.5 hours since there are a lack of bicycle racers in Green Bay. It was good to see some familiar faces from last year tearing it up--the likes of Kyle Jacobsen, the White Brothers, Schroetlin, Roessing, Crater, etc.

That being said, I have no intention of pulling ever again in a local race this year.

I attacked from the gun and got a nice split in the field after 1 lap, so things were swell. One Jittery Joes rider in the field helped me out and actually pulled through. Unfortunately I our group didn't keep the pace high enough and we came back on lap 3.

So I keep covering moves and attacking when appropriate. About 15 minutes into the race the JJ rider made a small attack on the downhill and bridged a 5 second gap to a random solo rider--or so I thought! Turns out it was Jacobsen up there drilling it, so that was a dumb move by yours truly. The duo got out of sight in the middle of the race and the chase was on.

I tried to bridge with ABD twice, to no avail. We got the gap down to a pretty small margin of 10-12 seconds, but every time we got close, the pack would sit up, I would attack, and everyone would take a breather afterwards and let the gap open up more. So, that was a bad idea.

Before this gets utterly boring, we didn't catch the break, it was a sprint for 3rd place. I jumped on the ABD leadout behind Crater with 500 meters to go. I jumped at the right time, but I pulled out of my pedal! Damn, it was the first time in a while I actually had 1500 watt jump at the end of a crit.

Here's to hoping I get out to New York in time for next weekend's Bank of America crit.

-b-

Moving on again

2008-05-09T13:45:00.003-05:00

Well school is finishing up finally and I can get back to life.

I'm on a new training schedule that really hurts the legs. But hopefully the form is coming around again for the second part of the season.

In a week I leave for the East Coast to stay with the rest of the team. I'm actually not sure where we're staying right now, but I'm sure by the time I leave next week I'll have a better idea of where I'm going to live.

Living at home again is awkward. That being said, it is cheap!

This weekend will be the first time I've raced in a bit. There's a WCA race down in Milwaukee I'll do to get the legs back in shape before real racing begins with the Bank of America criterium next weekend.

Our sprinter on Sakonnet, Jake Keough, tore it up at speedweek and almost took the overall win! Here's one of his nights on the podium:

Back in the saddle

2008-04-29T15:39:00.003-05:00

Racing resumed this weekend, after 7 days of training, in Iowa City. I drove down through Minnesota with the always eclectic Bianchi/Grand Performance guys for a show-stopper of an experience.

Saturday was this windy road race somewhere between nowhere and Iowa City. So, everyone was kind of rolling around warming up way before the race. I didn't really warm up, so I decided to punch it off the line in the crosswind so I didn't have to suffer racing against a bunch of fresh riders. It turns out I wasn't the only one with this plan, and it was a great place to be the first lap as it was nice and hard! After the exciting start nothing really happened, I bridged to some moves and went solo for a few minutes only to realize that the headwind was too strong for a 1-rider break.

On the 4th lap a break got off and Marcotte, Brandt, and I brought it back through the headwind and crosswind section. The field split in the crosswind, so I bridged to the break solo after getting the gap down to about 20 seconds. Unfortunately it came back about 5 minutes later in the tailwind, where Bill Stolte went solo followed by Steve Scholzen. The two never worked together, so Bianch, All-9-Yards, and I were able to pull it back for a field sprint. The sprint sucked, with a 25mph headwind and uphill pitch. I tried to dive around the Trek leadout with 150 meters to go, but they promptly pulled off into the gutter and I had to hit the brakes hard.

Sunday was the Old Capitol Crit. 40 laps of 1 km with a nice little hill to break the legs in. I stayed in the front 10 riders the first 30 minutes of the race, throwing in some attacks at the top of the hill when the field was strung out. But, everyone expected the attacks to go there and nothing stuck. 30 minutes in a break slipped off and I bridged to it, but the field was close on our heels.

I went for a 3 place preem and came around the Trek guys for a sweet prize 40 minutes in. But this kind of dug me a bit of a hole, and my asthma kicked in. I really couldn't recover at all after this happened--it sucked! It's been a while since my asthma held me back, but today it held me back big time. I missed the break right after the preem. Finally I felt better with 10 laps to go and I attacked on the top of the course to take a preem and try to bridge to the break. Again, I died on the hill and wheezed my way right back to the field. So, I sat in for the 4th place field sprint, where I didn't put myself in the right spot and only got 8th overall.

School is catching up with me...time to study!

Back from break!

2008-04-16T07:12:00.002-05:00

Back in Belize last month.

I've been on break now since January 3rd. I guess all good things must end at some time, because right now I'm back home in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The past week I've been on the bike every once and a while, bumming the Southwest with a mountain bike and some riding buddies. We hit up Tucson, Phoenix, Sedona, and Moab all within 8 days of road tripping.

Now its back to the drawing board. Training for the rest of the season starts today.

Bike racin' photos

2008-04-07T20:18:00.003-05:00

Sheldon actually smiles instead of feeling pain. One of the many benefits of being a ninja.

I like to put the "hurt" into "pain face".

Phil in the lead group on Sundset behind the climbing king, Tommy Danielson.

Phil showing off the guns of a climber.

Dinner time at the host house.

Thanks to Melissa for the photos, and for being the best host ever.

Evening after Hell

2008-04-06T19:23:00.002-05:00

Well Sunset didn't treat me well, as it seems is the norm at Redlands. A crash on the climb up to the circuits took me out, and I blew my energy chasing back to the pack. The climb on the first circuit lap quickly shelled me, and I got in a chase group with Sheldon and a bunch of Jelly Belly and Symmetrics riders. I hung on for a while, but in the end I blew up just a bit too early and pulled out on the second lap with another small group.

Overall, it was one hell of a race. I needed this to get me in NRC mode for the rest of the year.

Time for a break. Racing will continue full time in May.

-b-

Morning before Hell

2008-04-06T11:14:00.002-05:00

The Redlands criterium yesterday was uneventful. I worked my way up to the front part of the peloton by mid-race, just in time to watch Sheldon make an attack off the front sporting the U25 Devo "plain red" jersey. For the next 40 minutes, Sheldon and I tag teamed to stay near the front of the bunch while Rock Racing set tempo to keep the 4-rider breakaway in check.

With 20 minutes to go, Toyota and Kelly Benefit started to chase hard and the going got tough. With three corners more than 100 degrees, the single file peloton split right behind my position in the field. Luckily, Sheldon, Phil, and I all made the split. The pace was super high all the way until the finish. I got gapped on the last lap with 6 corners to go, and the race officials gave me a nice time gap because of it. Whatever, it was my fault for not being in the top 50 as the split happened.

So going into today's Sunset Road Race, U25 Devo is the 2nd amateur team on GC behind Cal-Giant Strawberries. Considering we only had 5 riders to begin with, so far so good!

12 laps of climbing hell begin in about 4 hours. The Sunset Road Race is widely regarded as one of the hardest road race stages in USA racing. I'm looking to finish--last year, only 30 riders made it.

-b-

Redalnds Beaumont Stage 1

2008-04-04T17:29:00.002-05:00

Team U25 Devo powered by Quaker Oats and Peanut Butter rolled out of bed today just in time to make the start of Redlands stage 1 road race, the "Beaumont Road Race." Things started out real chill for the first lap, where we previewed the KOM for the next 4 laps to come.

Quickly life progressed to hardness, as bike races always do. Lap two ramped it up a bit, and I rolled with a few breaks and attacks as everyone in the field was anxious to make the break. Over the second KOM, things got really strung out and a split happened, with Sheldon and I making it over the top in the first split. A break rolled right after the KOM, complete with two time world TT champion Santiago Botero. There was a chance to bridge to the break on the downhill, but I missed my opportunity. So that was that, and the break of 6 rolled up the road to gain several minutes on the field.

Laps 3 and 4 were steady and hard at times, as the field gradually slimmed down to 100 riders. On the last lap, I suddenly realized that there were only a couple of amateurs left in the field. Whoops, things are about to get tough! The last lap I felt pretty terrible on the climb while Heath Net and Slipstream chased. I popped at the top of the first climb before the KOM, where a grupetto formed and I rolled in a couple minutes down on the lead pack.

Phil and Sheldon managed to chase on after the last KOM and make the front pack.

More action tomorrow,

-b-

Redlands prologue

2008-04-03T18:23:00.002-05:00

I guess there's a reason why everyone uses a time trial bike in time trials. I clocked a middle of the field 11:10 ride today, 1:18 down from the winner. Nothing to talk about really. I'm at this race for the experience and to learn the courses. Experience at a race of this level is key. Next year and beyond, I'll benefit from finishing Redlands in 2008.

Dinner time!

-b-

California

2008-04-02T15:07:00.004-05:00

Doesn't this state just have a huge reputation? I felt like I should record the exact date and time that I crossed the Cali border on Tuesday. If California is anything it's cracked up to be, my life should never be the same again!

We met up with our host family yesterday evening--Melissa and Dave are amazing hosts. Everything about the host housing program rocks, and I want to thank each and every family that has put up a team of cyclists. Our sport wouldn't exist in the USA without your help.

Pre race days are usually pretty quiet, pre-riding the courses and attending the always enticing directors meeting. We've contemplated changing our team name from "U25 Devo" to something more exciting, like "U25 pro development, presented by Phil The Thrill.net" . Given that everyone has the word "PRO" in their team name nowadays, we might as well jump on the bandwagon.

Tucson Bicycle Classic

2008-03-30T21:50:00.004-05:00

I'm not going to recount this race since it pains me to think about it. The problems began at the prologue when I failed to bring a TT bike, and continued through the last day when Knapp crashed in the final 1 km and we passed the Cat 2 field during the sprint.

In the end, I snagged 9th in the TT, chased all day long stage 2 to move up to 3rd on GC, then survived day three and sprinted to 2nd place on the stage. Overall I ended up 5th.

What's important? Well,

#1, we visited Sweet Tomatoes three times in one weekend
#2, Ryan and I were harassed by the same crazy waitress at the Hotel Arizona multiple days. Her annoying mantra included "If you enjoy ANYTHING at the buffet, go get more," and "This is how you pour coffee."
#3, Phil's raunchy humor, including flatulence to the face, among many many other tactics

I need to start a quote book of this weekend's antics.

Redlands on tap,

-b-

Tucson riders

2008-03-29T16:49:00.002-05:00

Phil Gaimon, Ryan Knapp, and I are down in Tuscon town this weekend in the Tucson Bicycle Classic stage race.

Pretty fun stuff has gone done, including:

1) Phil recounting his days as the Georgia state yo-yo champion
2) Ryan puking up breakfast at the back of the road race today. The meal? Potatoes! Mmm...
3) JC hooking us up with great feeds, thanks JC
4) Scraping Phil's 4-bike Saris rack on the ground at EVERY bump in the road, complete with $12000 of real estate on board
5) Sweet Tomatoes, the coolest buffet style restaurant, probably responsible for Ryan's puking
6) A Landis dude in the field today told me this Pro/1 race was "just his hobby"
7) The same dude called Phil a great new nickname--Ass Clown
8) Fig Newtons as race food...my new favorite!
9) Not having a TT bike for the prologue is not recommended
10) An anti-abortion evangelist in the feed zone trying to convince JC not to end his future baby's life

More tomorrow,

-b-

Belize Cross Country Classic Win

2008-03-22T18:34:00.005-05:00

Today was absolutely crazy. I'll never forget it!

The 250 km race began at the god-awful time of 6 AM. Gavi and I ate such a huge dinner the night before the race, I couldn't even stomach my breakfast...ugh, not a good sign.

For the first hour it was flat and fast, with a small break up the road taking all the "station prizes", basically preems, that add up to many thousands of dollars over the course of the race. After 1 hour, I rolled with some attacks and got off the front with a group of eight. 1 guy attacked solo and got a good gap, which he held for the next 2 hours. A very impressive feat considering there was more than $6,000 in preems he won for the effort.

One of my Belizian teammates on Santinos, Froggy, bridged up to me before the turn around point, so my job was to mark all the dangerous Cuban and Columbian riders in the hills so that he could sit on and be fresh for the end. I did just that, making sure to conserve as much energy as possible.

After the crazy tun around point, surrounded by thousands of screaming Belizian people and crossing a narrow, one way metal bridge, the Columbian team motored to catch the solo break off the front. After we caught him, I had good legs. So I went on the attack. It was very hard to get away since the pace was not too high and riders were recovered enough to match every move.

At 50 miles to go, through the city of Belmopan, the riders attacked in the hills to get the big preems through the city. I counterattacked just after leaving Belmopan and got a big gap right away. I didn't really want to go that hard, so I just kept it steady and stayed aero. Fortunately the break did not chase me immediately, so my time gap grew quickly to 3 minutes. At 30 miles to go I still felt very good, and my time gap continued to grow.

The break was caught with me off the front of the race solo with 25 miles to go, and now the time gap was up to 7 minutes. I knew it would be hard to do, but with that big of a gap, I knew I could win the race now. I downed as much water and food as I could, and the Chief (our director) poured 15-20 bottles of water over my head every couple of minutes to ward off the 90 degree heat.

With 11 miles to go, the legs just gave out and I was in horrible pain the entire rest of the ride. I could not eat or drink anymore since my stomach hurt so much. My power fell way down and I was just suffering. To combat the lower power, I focused on being as aero as possible and just staying at 40 km/hr. Coming into Belize City, I knew I had it won!

The chief told me to keep the gas on to set a new course record...but I didn't have much left. It hurt so bad at the end, but the energy of thousands of Belizian people screaming kept me going. In the end, I crossed the line more than 6 minutes ahead of the chase group, setting a new course record by 7 minutes.

My teammate Gavi snagged 5th place and another podium, along with Akau, our Guatemalan teammate, in 7th. So it was a successful day for the team.

Words cannot express how much the Belize people love cycling. I honestly kissed 10 babies, took 100 photos, signed 30 jerseys, and gave 10 interviews after the race.

I'm exhausted from this 6200 KJ day. More tomorrow,

-b-

In Belize...

2008-03-21T12:00:00.002-05:00

Riding for Team Santinos / Red Bull, I'm down in Belize right now with my teammate Gavi Epstein from Sakonnet. Belize is quite the country, despite the poor economy. People here are crazy about bike racing! It's a relatively unknown country, but in the next couple of years it will be well known to tourists as it expands it's global market.

Tomorrow we will race for 250 km from Belize City on the eastern coast of Belize, all the way to the Guatemalan border, and back. Our goal is to help the native Belizian riders on the team to win the race.

More tomorrow,

-b-

It needs to be said

2008-03-18T10:21:00.001-05:00

http://view.break.com/470052 - Watch more free videos

First mountian bike ride with Ned Overend

2008-03-16T14:55:00.002-05:00

I conquered my first mountain bike ride this year with Ned Overend. Yeah, it was a good day.

No one wants me to race

2008-03-15T19:33:00.002-05:00

Jeez, I can't even find a ride to the Tumacacori road race south of Tucson tomorrow. The way I look at it, that means everyone looses because a) The new Jamis is just beautiful, and b) I can't win.

On the plus side, I may get a mountain bike ride in tomorrow....for those keeping track, it would be the first mountain bike ride since Chequmeagon. Crossing my fingers not to crash,

-b-

Ready to Race

2008-03-14T15:36:00.004-05:00

The new steed arrived:

And team U25 Devo has been accepted as the only composite team to race at Redlands 2008.

Time for a midterm,

-b-

I can't belive I'm ridiculed for NOT doing this

2008-03-12T15:38:00.003-05:00

So it seems the newest fad is to post all your power numbers on your personal website.

Greg and Cole both know I'm totally hip on all the new fads. Here goes:

5 second squirrels: Jon Chodroff < Alex Sharon < me < Freshie Steve Scholzen < J Puffer

5 minute squirrels: Jon Chodroff <= me <= Freshie Steve Scholzen <= Jon Meyers < Fabian Cancellara

1 hour squirrels: everyone < Jon Chodroff <= Jon Meyers < Big Miguel Indurain

Summed up: I am medium. Hope that settles everything. I hate fads. But I do like Coke Zero and walnuts.

Just saying,

-b-

What's Hot

2008-03-09T23:50:00.002-05:00

-Hot-

1) Messenger Bags
2) Solo rides from city to city
3) Jon Chodroff's VO2 max
4) Riding with Missingsaddle.com genius Skiles Keith
5) 13000 KJ weekends
6) Coffee shops in Fountain Hills

-Not-

1) 1 km crits
2) Paris-Nice gibber-jabber
3) Saddle sores
4) Mid terms (yes I'm still in school)
5) San Dimas SR registration filled
6) Phil "the thrill" skipping out on some sweet riding with me this week

North End Classic Road Race / Deathmarch

2008-03-02T20:51:00.002-06:00

Given the option of a 75 mile or a 100 mile road race, which would you choose? If the actual distance was closer to 110 miles and there were gale force winds, would you change your mind? Sitting in 6th place on GC after yesterday, I was ready to rumble.

Well today's 80 mile flat road race turned into a 110 mile windy-as-all-hell deathmarch. It started pretty slow, but I went in an early break since the first of four laps was an omnium preem sprint and I wanted points. Too bad a course marshall directed me the wrong way and I ended up back in the pack after 10 minutes. Shucks. The early break took the preem points, and was promptly caught after an all-out 2nd lap.

I ended up in a chase group and had to go hard for a while to catch back on to the leaders. Luckily the work paid off, and we regrouped with 25 riders with two laps to go. After some attacking, Kirk Carlson, Curtis Gunn, Matt Shirver, one other Empire guy, and I got away on the third lap. The remainder of the field drilled it to catch us, effectively shelling the group down to 14 riders including the break. Going into the final lap of hell, I had 3 bottles of water so far and no more in sight. Dehydration settled in and I started my nervous habit of talking a lot when I'm dizzy and suffering.

A break of 5 guys not above 5th on GC rolled off with 1 to go, and I watched it fly by....dumb move. The omnium points for the weekend were very top heavy, so even though the riders were not high on GC, they effectively took all the points I needed to move up on GC. So, with no more food or water, we slaved away for the last 30 mph windy, 28 mile lap. Somehow I struggled through the end, watched Gunn's wheel in the sprint, and won the chase group sprint for 6th. It was the single lowest power sprint I've ever done(750 watts for 15 seconds), and it still won the sprint. Wow. That's the definition of a deathmarch.

Overall, I actually moved down on GC to 7th overall. But given the hard courses and strong field, I'm happy with the weekend.

Next on tap is some heavy training for the Belize Holy Cross Country Classic, a 145 mile UCI 1.12 race across the entire country of Belize and back. Fun stuff to come,

-b-

North End Clasic Crit

2008-03-01T23:27:00.002-06:00

Yuma so far is my favorite city in Arizona. It's the Gary Indiana of the Southwest. But there's a bike race here, so it's racin' time.

Tonight was a very good 60 minute crit in downtown Yuma. There was a decent hill each lap on the finishing straight, 10 corners, high speeds, and single-lane roads. I got to the front of the race at the start and stayed there for the first 30 minutes of the race, trying to keep Curtis Gunn's rear wheel on the preem laps. I managed to snag 2nd place in both of the intermediate sprints to get omnium points for the weekend. Surprisingly, the legs were good. I tried to use them well in the last 15 minutes by keeping on each breakaway attempt....but in the end, I didn't take the right wheel on the last lap and ended up 7th.

Hope for a windy road race tomorrow.

-b-

This needs to stop

2008-02-27T22:45:00.002-06:00

The phrase "bike practice."

What I did every second of the day today.

Check out this sweet YouTube video story about this cup...

"I'm fat and slow so I plan to get dropped."

--You all know who you are.--

Arizona sun

2008-02-26T10:52:00.002-06:00

Yes the leg warmers are necessary.

Head colds and bicycle racin'

2008-02-23T20:56:00.003-06:00

Tuesday -- It's not a cold, you're just having a shitty day.
Wednesday -- I think I'm okay to do some intervals, it's just a headache.
Thursday -- I guess I can handle some easy riding with these symptoms.
Friday -- Ugh, bed time.
Saturday -- Race the Scottsdale GP?

Oh yeah. Go for some primes. Check. Don't get dropped. Check. Get in the top 5. Check. Make some good money. Check.

I guess sometimes it's best not to think, just to act.

Cole's a model, and Greg's overzealous

2008-02-20T10:56:00.003-06:00

That's right, smile for the camera.

Weekend wrap up

2008-02-17T21:58:00.002-06:00

I really wanted that time bonus today, but the legs said no to the crit action during the 3rd stage of Valley of the Sun today. I ended up 14th on the stage, and 15th overall GC. All in all it was a good start to the season, but there is still a lot of work to do!

Good luck this week to Reistad, Peltonen, Big Bird, and Mumford representing the Midwest at the Tour of California. Anyone else agree that ToC is already a Pro Tour only race? I hope our domestic riders survive.

-b-

Valley of the Sun road race

2008-02-16T19:29:00.003-06:00

I'm already bored with the whole race report thing, so this is going to be brief.

90 miles, finish on a 5 minute climb, 6 laps. Went solo on the 1st lap, got pulled back. Bridged up to a big break of 11 on the 2nd lap and motored it with Rock Racing, Health Net, and Jittery Joes for most of the race. Took some KOM bonus seconds to try and take the U23 classification. Break got up to 2:30, but we were pulled back with 1 lap to go. Damn. I didn't have a great finish, but managed to get the same time in the front group.

Awkward looks

2008-02-16T02:03:00.003-06:00

#1 -- I slaved at the doorstep of our home in Arizona the past two days awaiting the arrival of the Sakonnet team kits and schwagg. Finally it arrived on Thursday evening. Contained within it was a very surprising assortment of goodies and sponsor stuff. I could see the jealousy in Greg's eyes, and I totally basked in it for a while.

#2 -- I stole a TT bike from a local Phoenix area resident. Thank you? I'll give it back...

#3 -- Valley of the Sun started today. Gosh these guys are in shape early down here! I managed to put my newfound TT bike to good use though on today's 22 Km out and back test of cajones. Unfortunately, I was PASSED like a little girl after 15 Km and wanted to cry. I guess that dude was pretty fast though, since I still managed a not-quite-shameful 14th place, 2nd in the U23.

I s'pose its time to keep my head screwed on and to give the Schwinn a good ol' bike ride during tomorrow's stage. Save my spot in the bleachers if we're all disqualified for crossing the yellow line -- its gonna be a windy one.

-b-

Cole already killing it

2008-02-14T12:15:00.001-06:00

3rd at the first stage of Tour of Belize.

Damn Cole, when are you going to finally win something?

Scottsdale crit

2008-02-10T19:40:00.000-06:00

There was a slick 1 hour criterium just 1 mile down the road from our place in Scottsdale today. Which works out nicely for the whole riding to and from the races thing.

My main comment--Arizona crits are much more chill than the midwest. Don't get me wrong, these guys are fast. But it's more fitness fast than aggressive, bumper to bumper, in the gutter on every corner fast. That being said, I still missed the breakaway. I saw Sheldon Denny make the bridge about 35 minutes into the race, and I watched it go. Hopefully I stop being stupid sometime soon and win a race--but that's what the early season is all about I guess. Anyways, 4 dudes were up the road and it was a field sprint for 5th. I got in decent position and managed to survive Cole's attack into the last 2 corners and come around some dudes for 8th overall.

Time for some more big rides to get ready for Valley of the Sun next weekend.

-b-

C'mon....first race of the year already?

2008-02-09T20:41:00.000-06:00

I guess that when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

But the Romans here in Arizona start racing in January, the crazy bastards! Of course I had to see what the inside scoop was.

Matt and I rolled out at noon to ride to the race, a good 2 hour spin to open up the legs. It was a 90 minute glorified criterium in Mt McDowell Regional Park. Actually, it's a pretty decent park north of Fountain Hills with some good dips, dives, and ups downs. If you ignore the chip sealed road, it's pretty top notch.

The race began with 50-ish dudes and progressed as always, fast-ish, hard-ish, and agressive-ish. There were some pretty good riders in the field, which made for an exciting race. After an hour or so and lots of failed attacks, Cole rolled off the front of the field with some good riders and I knew it was on. The next 30 minutes I gav'er hell and chased as much as possible, but the field seemed content to race for 9th. It ended up in a sprint type of finish with me in 14th. Cole got beat and had to settle for 2nd.

Then we rode home, and enjoyed the post race sweat and turmoil the whole way.

More racing tomorrow. Arizona action!

Noel's Point of View

2008-02-02T17:46:00.000-06:00

Is the number of professional riders who have come through this program a good measurement of success?

Noel: Yes. It is not easy though as the progression to the ProTour is very competitive. The difference between American and European racing, with the kids going to school in the U.S., is still sizeable and it is often very hard for American kids to catch up with the European riders. Many riders are certainly capable of it. They may just need a couple years of experience and before they can make that step around the ages of 25 or 26.

I couldn't agree more with that statement. Still the biggest difference by far between racers in Europe and the USA is the level of dedication the Europeans put towards the sport starting at 18 years old. There is, quite literally, no other good alternative for a European espior to turn to if he/she is not able to get a college education. Bike racing is their way out.

In the USA, among the talented riders on the National Team, the ones who tend to make it to the big leagues are not in school. I'm not advocating skipping school--instead, I'm suggesting that USA riders don't fully develop until after they reach 22 years old and finish school.

With the USA National U23 Team obviously catering to under 23 year old riders, where do these 23-25 year old talents who go to school turn to? Racing domestically in the USA is the likely answer, if they decide to race full time at all. At home, the vast majority of our teams are Division III Continental teams, which have an under 28-year-old average age requirement. Therefore, a DIII USA team is less likely to hire a 26 year old vs. a 21 year old, even if the 26 year old fits the team better.

What can we do at home to combat this issue? Cater to U25 riders instead of U23 is one of the solutions. This encourages talented juniors to go to college versus risk everything on bike racing. It also allows the racer who did not compete as a junior (ahem...most collegiate racers) to finish school and develop their potential with the support of USA Cycling.

Do I think this change will happen? No. There will always be talents out there who are plenty good enough at bike racing to warrant skipping college at 19 years old. The younger the rider, the more potential time USA Cycling has to develop that talent.

Also, it seems to be easier to give money to "kids" than it does to "adults." That doesn't imply, however, that any bike racer should be considered an adult. Just look at me.

Oh yeah, I'm tired as hell after 100 hours of riding the last 4 weeks. Time for some rest and school work.

-b-

On the road again

2008-01-30T18:19:00.001-06:00

Geez, the whole training thing is getting kind of tough lately, so all I have the energy to do today is post some mediocre photos of a nice route around Fountain Hills north of Scottsdale.

Just another day in the desert.

Way too cool for school.

A few hills on the route.

And a nice up and down back to town.

Things on my mind --

Construction workers: If you have a giant construction vehicle that sprays massive amounts of water all over the road, shouldn't you NOT pass 3 cyclists on a narrow road?

Wind: Tailwinds rock, headwinds suck, and crosswinds are the best of them all.

Weather: It's nice here, but not at home.

Tortilla Flats is the Mexican name for hills

2008-01-23T19:31:00.000-06:00

I dragged Cole and Greg out for a ride today...not like we have too much else to do, but for some reason, it's still difficult.

I was berated for suggesting we drive a half hour to a new riding spot. Turns out it was pretty kick ass. Here's the scoop:

Another crazy group ride.

The scenery was nice, but there were hills...Tortilla FLATS, c'mon.

I wonder how much money is on this wall....

Cole indulged in a healthy bull burger and fries as a part of the P-R-O diet.

Greg participated in the "mexican nacho eating" contest. He was the only contestant.

Victory!

A minor price to pay for 2 lbs of extra weight.

We just pulled wheelies the rest of the ride to burn off the food anyway.

Fastest 17 year old on the planet

2008-01-19T07:23:00.001-06:00

First winning Junior TT Worlds, US Nationals, and now winning gold at the LA World Cup? There's no stopping this 17-year old wonder kid.

I think I'm going to sit on the couch today and let these who are actually fast do the whole bike racing thing.

At least it's warm here -- snap!

So little time

2008-01-10T09:40:00.000-06:00

Accomplishments come in various forms while riding a bike and pretty much nothing else.

Such as greeting the day right-

Or taking a normal backyard-

And making it into a big mess of sheet metal-

And a sly 3.5 hours of frustration later, creating party time success-

I should stick to riding bikes I think.

Useury Pass

2008-01-07T20:10:00.000-06:00

Took a nice 3 hour spin east of town. Also, enjoyed the newly purchased PS3 on a big screen TV thanks to Matt, Greg, and Cole. I'm tagging along for the ride with all these rich folk.

Exploring a world unknown

2008-01-06T19:13:00.001-06:00

Climbing is cool with Greg and Cole manning the "fashion police" role.

A nice view on South Mountain's summit.

Cole believe he is fat in this picture, which makes it worth posting.

Supporting the USA is hard work.

In Scottsdale, bring your bling bling

2008-01-06T11:14:00.000-06:00

Cole, Greg, and I fit in great here with our sweet Subaru Outback "pimp machine." After a nice 30 hour straight through drive from Green Bay to Arizona, I think it's time to actually ride a bike for a while.

Here's to starting the 2008 season--

How to be a terrible bike racer 101

2007-12-28T15:29:00.000-06:00

Step 1:

Live in Wisconsin.

Notice the proximity to Canada.

Step 2:

Own a pair of XC skis.

Try to ski on a day where it snows more than 6 inches.

Wear a bright orange jersey.

Step 3:

Get laughed at by various 4th graders after doing a yard sale trying to take a jump at 10 mph.

Try to take pictures upside down.

Fall on your face numerous times.

Did I mention that it's cold here?

Schwing!

2007-12-21T16:31:00.000-06:00

I have resurrected the old Orange Schwinn Peloton for the call of duty this January. I do not know how the beast has survived three changes of ownership and 2 years of racing punishment--but it's back in business.

Training has finally started up again here ordained by the coach. I even had to do a hard effort already, which is totally unfair. I hate going hard when I'm an out of shape blob.

Another semester has concluded at UW, which means I am unfortunately another semester closer to graduation. I hate thinking about the use of an engineering degree, because it completely eludes me.

Countdown 10 days to Scottsdale, AZ and sunny riding. In the meantime, 32 degrees and rain. I love Green Bay.

Teammates

2007-12-12T09:52:00.000-06:00

http://www.skntcycling.com/

Skater punks

2007-12-08T09:45:00.000-06:00

Yeah, this site exists. And no one will ever be able to get rid of it since I forgot the password.

Some sweet pictures and videos from the skating days...oh so long ago (2002).

Esper Skate Team

Check out the videos on the home "updates" page. So sick.

Oh yeah, I'm moving to Arizona and taking a semester of online classes.

-b-

AZ in the future?

2007-11-26T10:01:00.000-06:00

It's time to start training again--the whole "I ride my bicycle...a lot" thing.

I know how a lot of the big midwest'ers have already started to get'er on in November, but I remembered how starting to train in November last year left me feeling tired by May. Who wants that, when all the good stuff is in June - August anyway?

The National Team is not in the cards at the begining of next season. I requested to go over in the spring to Belgium, but that didn't turn out. After the spring, I'm committed to stage racing with Sakonnet in the US over on the East Coast. So that's that. No dice.

However--a place to stay in Arizona this spring seems to be working out well. A friend of mine recently bought a house in Scottsdale...and has some extra bedrooms for rent. It looks like Cole and I may be headed down there for the spring months for some training and racing. I can take some of my classes online next semester, so I can still stay enrolled in school at the same time.

In the meantime, it's time for a nice cold ride!

Ludicris speed

2007-11-20T14:01:00.000-06:00

I don't even have time to sit down lately, jeez. Bike riding time has been pretty far down this week between no one showing up for a beautiful Sunday ride, and rain the rest of the week here. Looks like snow in Green Bay for Thanksgiving too.

I despise school. I know everyone says it, but lately, I really do.

Anyone want to take a trip to Tucson this winter? I'm getting a group together to travel down there from New Years until around Jan 21. Email me if you're interested--

-b-

Horribly Hilly

2007-11-10T18:41:00.000-06:00

The route.

Fresh and I managed 175km of the Horribly Hilly Hundreds ride today before darkness ensued promptly at 4:15pm. The sun never did shine and the temperature never did break 47 degrees, but it was a nice jaunt this weekend after taking some time easy the past couple of weeks.

The best hill in Blue Mounds--Not mounds park road, no! Pinincal road is where it's at, about 1 mile north of the intersection of K and mounds park road.

I'm trying to find out where the Sakonnet training camp is this January...but I still have no idea! All I know is it will be warm and far away from the snow and 8 hours of daylight in the midwest.

Until next time,

-b-

Spotted cows

2007-10-27T15:44:00.001-05:00

Halloween night in Madtown?

On second thought, me and Halloween don't mix well.
I'm going for a ride.

The end of cross, apple cider, and Sakonnet

2007-10-20T22:56:00.000-05:00

After my embarrassing stint in cross' the past weekend, I've decided my cross season is over. Here's to another great season on cross--one weekend of hell:

Here I demonstrate how to dismount 10 meters in front of a barrier to ensure no crashing.

A chance here to corner maybe--juuuussstttt maybe--without crashing.

Congrats again to Freshie Steven Scholzen for taking the win down at the Cam Rock race. His first cross race of the season I may add.

110 miles of apple cider goodness was delivered on the seats of our bicycles with the UW team today. It was a glorious day for a bicycle ride, made even better by the number of new riders who braved the long ride. As Warren said on the cider ride, "It's not the weather that makes a good ride, it's the company." Well said Warren.

After much thought...and a lot of time...I've finally signed with my 2008 team. For the 2008 season I'm going to be riding with an east coast team, based out of New York, called Sakonnet Technologies. I'm throughly excited about the program and my future teammates.

I want to thank all the awesome guys on ABD this past year for all the support and success we've achieved in such a short time. Carter, Jeff, Ebert, Alex, Bret, and everyone else--it was awesome. Best of luck to everyone in the 08 season.

See you on the road--

-b-

"Follow the yellow brick road..."

2007-10-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

There are parts of school that I really enjoy--none of which involve going to class and "learning."

The other day, I was at a tutoring meeting (my sorry excuse for a job). The dean of the engineering college paid us a visit and asked the tutors if there was anything that the college could do to improve the quality of education at UW. While other tutors brought up topics such as teaching methods and the lack of TA's in the college, I had a much more pointed view concerning an engineering education at a Big 10 University--namely, the focus on grad school.

I'm now...what, a Junior undergrad at this school?...and what do I know about engineering? When someone asks me that question, I really don't know how to respond; probably because I honestly do not know what mechanical engineers acutally do! Sure, professors have taught us that we will use 'this and that' heat transfer formula to design a pressure release system...but what does that mean to me? The University expects it's undergrads to know what engineering is without ever giving them hands on experience. Like, I don't know...maybe it'd be cool to have a class on how to USE a CAD system, not just understand CAD theory. On that note, it'd be great to actually MAKE SOMETHING....anything at all, really, using the 'theory' we learned in class.

Oh wait. There's grad school for that, right?

But what about the 75% of engineering students who don't go to grad school?

Other than pondering such pompus questions about life and such, I've been up to no good the past month. No good at all.

Did a shit ton of school work.
Did some weekend rides.
Had my roomate John kick my ass on every ride.
Took 3 weeks without any rides during the week.
Did a "Fall Fling" race for ABD last weekend...went hard, then watched Carter take the 'W'.
Busted out the cross bike this week.
Rode to Cam Rock today for the WCA race....got lost, had to TT it for 2 hours.
Dave Stabb made me cry.
Crashed 2x on the first lap, sorry to those poor souls behind me.
My quad muscles cramped like a mo-fo during the race.
Cruised in for 5th.
Fresh laid waste to all...and took the coveted beer preem.
Repeat the last statement again for tomorrow's Badger Prarie Cross Race.

I'm out.

-b-

Chequamegon

2007-09-16T20:43:00.000-05:00

Fun race, but a word of warning--the rumors are true: Try riding your mountain bike perhaps once before the race. And try not to use a demo'd bike.

The pops and I finished up alright, with Mr Mitchel Gantz taking the Short and Fat win by a longshot. Cole motored to 7th place on a sweet Gary Fisher 29'er with Stans The Crow Tires. That thing rolled like no tomorrow. The results tell all--ride a 29'er at this race.

The legends

2007-09-09T20:03:00.000-05:00

1) Eric Bean

The one and only Ironman slamming, road racing, time trialing, 10k running, swimming champion in the entire city of Madison.

2) GDVC's John ?

Met him on a ride today, and I assure you he is certifiably more insane than me or Fresh combined. Want to take a detour on a gravel road for an hour and a half to see this cool tunnel? Follow me. Oh, and don't bother with that water thing either, you need to train your hydration on 6 hour rides.

3) Phil Gaimon

The sole am. rider to finish the Univest Grand Prix for the Sakonnet team. Impressive.

Oudenburg

2007-08-29T13:43:00.000-05:00

Scott Stewart, Chad Beyer, Tejay Vangarderen, Taylor Sheldon, Spencer Beamer, and I headed to the UCI 1.12 race called Oudenburg today. It's in the north of Flanders, so guess what--it's the home of flat, windy races. This one was no different, navigating 160 flat kilometers through 16 laps of a race circuit.

On the first lap, the legs were feeling spunky--I countered a move and bridged up to a group of two off the front of the field. We motored it for a few km before passing the finish line. There is a preem every lap in the race, so I gav'er for a bit of a sprint and took the preem. The Belgian dude I beat in the sprint wasn't too happy with that. When I came around him to win the preem, he shoved his bars into my hip and gave me a bit of a scare. I guess I wasn't supposed to win the preem after solo bridging to a break? I don't think I'll ever understand these Belgian racers.

After such an exciting start to the day, the rest of the race was pretty standard. Hard in the crosswinds, single file most of the day, a break for 10 laps that gets reeled back with 3 laps to go, then the field attacks the hell out of each other until we finish in pieces. Tejay got in a break on the last lap, so the rest of us sat on stayed at the front. A chase group formed with 5km to go, so I bridged to it and sat on. It came back with 2km to go, where a field sprint ensued with 10-15 guys already up the road. I was up there in the sprint for a top 30 finish.

These races are always hard--in comparison to any USA race that is. This race was relatively easy, compared to, say, the 1.2 Renniglest race I did 6 weeks ago.

I may have another race to do here this week, but I'm getting pretty fried. I just found out Chequmeagon is on the agenda here in September. Let's just say--it's on.